Yair Raziel Rodríguez Portillo was born and raised in Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico to Rigoberto Rodríguez Olivas and Norma Alicia Portillo. Rodríguez started Taekwondo at age five.
Rodríguez made his professional mixed martial arts debut on October 10, 2011, at Mexican Fighter Promotions 8, when he fought Jonatan Guzmán and won via unanimous decision. On March 10, 2012, he fought Carlos Ricardo at The Supreme Cage Fighting 1. He won via third round submission. Rodríguez then fought Luis Roberto Herrera on December 12, 2012, at Mexican Fighter Promotions 13. He lost via first round KO. Rodríguez next faced Édgar Juárez on February 16, 2013 at Mexican Fighter Promotions 14. He won the fight via first-round KO. His final fight before he entered the UFC was against Angelo Durante on April 4, 2014 at NP: High Altitude Face Off 6. Rodríguez won the fight via first round submission.
The Ultimate Fighter
In May 2014, it was revealed that Rodríguez was a cast member of , competing for "Team Velasquez". In his first fight on the show, Rodríguez defeated Humberto Brown in the quarterfinals via submission. In the semifinals, Rodríguez defeated Rudolfo Rubio via submission to reach the finals.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Rodríguez made his official UFC debut on November 15, 2014 at UFC 180, facing Leonardo Morales in The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America featherweight finals. Rodríguez defeated Morales via unanimous decision to become the tournament winner. For his second fight with the promotion, Rodríguez fought Charles Rosa on June 13, 2015 at UFC 188. He won the fight by split decision. Rodríguez then received his first Fight of the Night bonus award. Rodríguez next competed against Dan Hooker on October 3, 2015 at UFC 192. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Rodríguez next faced Andre Fili on April 23, 2016 at UFC 197. He won the fight via knockout in the second round and was awarded his first Performance of the Night bonus. Rodríguez next fought Alex Caceres on August 6, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 92. He won the fight by split decision. Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night honors. Rodríguez next faced returning veteran B.J. Penn on January 15, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 103. Rodríguez won the fight via TKO in the second round. Afterwards, he was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus. Rodríguez next faced Frankie Edgar on May 13, 2017 at UFC 211. He lost the fight via TKO after the second round due to swelling on his left eye. On May 10, 2018, it was reported that Rodríguez was released from the UFC after allegedly declining two fights. Three weeks later, Rodríguez announced that he and UFC officials worked out their differences and that he was back on the roster. He was expected to fight Zabit Magomedsharipov at UFC 228, however, Rodríguez pulled out of the fight on August 23 citing injury. In late October, Rodríguez agreed to replace Frankie Edgar and fight Chan Sung Jung on November 10, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 139, after Edgar withdrew due to injury. Rodríguez won the fight by knockout via reverse elbow at 4 minutes 59 seconds in the fifth round; the latest knockout in UFC history. He was awarded the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards. The knockout went on to win accolades as the knockout of the year from many media sources. Rodríguez faced Jeremy Stephens on September 21, 2019 in the main event at UFC on ESPN+ 17. The bout ended in a "No Contest" just 15 seconds into the first round after Rodríguez accidentally swatted Stephens in the left eye, rendering his opponent unable to continue. Rodríguez faced Jeremy Stephens in a rematch on October 18, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 6. He won the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. Rodríguez is scheduled to face Zabit Magomedsharipov on August 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 176.
